Meet The Models Who Aren't Allowed To Do Dishes And Have To "Smile" With Their Feet

What kind of models can go to work in front of the camera without a stitch of makeup, aren't allowed to do dishes, and regularly make up to $1,200 a day without even showing their faces?

They're "parts models," and according to CNN, they're raking in big bucks for their flawless hands and feet.

While it may sound like an easy way to get rich quick, industry veterans warn that it can be much more demanding than the catwalk and catalog work most models do. "Some people have a very romanticized view of what [parts] modeling is," Danielle Korwin, president of the New York City-based Parts Models modeling agency, told CNN. "Their boyfriend or grandmother or mother has said, 'you have great hands, you should be a model,' but we want only the exceptional. Your hands have to be veinless, poreless and flawless." You're also expected to hold your hands or feet in uncomfortable positions for hours, avoid housework or anything that might damage your skin, and "convey emotion" with a flick of the wrist.

All that for a life of obscurity where nobody but your loved ones will recognize your appendages? Well, not always. When Kimbra Hickey "posed" for the cover of the book Twilight a few years ago, she suddenly became a superstar in her own right. As the article tells, it, "'I just stumbled on it. I've never been recognized as a hand model, but when I started going to bookstores and telling people who were in line paying for Twilight that those were my hands, before you know it, I had a line of people waiting for autographs.' Hickey is now touring with various Twilight themed conventions, autographing covers and recreating her now-famous hand pose for photos with fans. 'When you start to realize that you have this little bit of celebrity status, it's a strange feeling, because I've never had that before,' Hickey said. 'I feel lucky just to be a part of it.'" A part of it! Har.

Have you guys ever known anyone who was a "parts model" before (besides George Costanza, of course!)? Does it sound more or less grueling to you than regular modeling? And which of your lovely parts would you be best known for? Has anyone ever told you your hands or feet or back or shoulders are gorgeous enough to be photographed? Share!